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One time while visiting friends and family during the holidays, my travels took me to one of those outposts that has an airport in function only. It was the kind of place that had just two gates and the boarding process is akin to a cattle call.

Anyway, as you can imagine, flights in and out of this particular airport were few and far between. My only real option for flying out was a 7 a.m. plane to Dallas. So, as expressly not dictated by the good folks at the Transportation and Safety Administration, I arrived about 40 minutes before the flight was scheduled to depart. I mean, how busy could this place really be?

Well, it would have been smooth sailing if not for one not-so-minor hiccup: the baggage screener had malfunctioned. The TSA agents were checking every single bag by hand for explosives, weapons and 12-ounce bottles of contact solution. After 30 minutes in line, a woman who was way too chipper for a government employee working the 5 a.m. shift took my bag for its inspection.

"Really makes you appreciate what you've got when it's taken away from you, huh?", she remarked as she leisurely fingered through my drawers.

I guess that's a nice thought, but it's nowhere near true. Unfortunately, it just makes you more pissed off, as you think about how much better things should be.